Bradley Online Learning offers computer-based continuing education for professionals in a variety of disciplines, including psychologists, social workers, certified counselors, physicians, nurses, speech/language and occupational therapists, and teachers.
Courses are available through our computer learning management system complete with self-registration, post test function, evaluation and certificate download. To learn more and to register, choose a course below:
Tina Tan
Tina Tan is a current first-year counseling psychology doctoral student at Arizona State University (ASU). As a member of the Race and Relationships Lab at ASU, she hopes to explore sociocultural factors' impact on parent-child communication so that she can use this information to improve mental health outcomes among underserved, immigrant communities.
Bethany Gen
Bethany Gen was a post-baccalaureate clinical research assistant with the Adolescent Risk Prevention Lab at Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center. They assisted in research focused on sexual violence prevention, which included the developing and testing of emotion regulation interventions for middle schoolers. They will be researching ways to promote behavioral health in trans adolescents and young adult relationships as a doctoral student at the Lehigh University counseling psychology program.
Christopher Epting
Christopher Epting has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the College of the Holy Cross. He worked as a post-baccalaureate clinical research assistant with the Adolescent Risk Prevention Lab at Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center and is now pursuing a graduate degree in industrial and organizational psychology at the University of Albany. His interests are in the relationship between employee satisfaction and company performance.
Elizabeth C. Tampke, PhD
Elizabeth Tampke, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow in the Research Fellowship Program at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She received her PhD in clinical child psychology from the University of Kansas in 2022. Her research focuses on the developmental trajectory of childhood aggression to romantic partner violence and intervention development.
This module is a brief summary on the state of parent-child communication measurement. Of particular focus is how current parent-child communication instruments may not be adequate for multilingual immigrant families. The module highlights the need to consider and clarify how communication among multilingual immigrant families may be unique and how language fluency may impact this.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Ashley Adams, MD
Ashley Adams, MD is a fifth-year resident in the Brown Triple Board (pediatrics, psychiatry, and child and adolescent psychiatry) program. Prior to medical school she worked as a residential counselor in a psychiatric treatment facility for children, an experience that informed her decision to pursue combined training in pediatrics and psychiatry. Throughout her residency training she has pursued interests in development, attachment, and family therapy as related to early childhood mental health for families within the neonatal intensive care unit and psychiatric care settings. She hopes to continue this clinical and academic work with families in Rhode Island following completion of her training.
This module describes how the field of neonatology implements a preventative approach to caring for infants born preterm, in both evaluation and treatment of the medical, psychological, and social comorbidities to which they are prone. Parallels are made to ways the field of child psychiatry can adopt a similar preventative approach to caring for children and families predisposed to poor mental health outcomes due to biological and social risk factors. The potential barriers, strategies, and downstream benefits to such a preventative approach within child psychiatry are explored.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Kathrin Renschler, MA
Clinical Research Assistant and Mobile Exposure Coach at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Clinic
Kathrin Renschler received her master's degree in psychology from New York University where she worked in the Science of Human Connection Lab looking at adolescent accommodation and resistance to gender norms as expressed through their language use. Renschler previously completed her bachelor's degree in industrial and organizational psychology in her home country, Germany, where she did research on virtual teamwork.
Jennifer Freeman, PhD
Director of Research and Training at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center at Bradley Hospital
Associate Professor (Research) of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Jennifer Freeman received her bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University and completed her doctoral training at the State University of New York at Buffalo, completed a predoctoral internship at the Brown University Clinical Psychology Training Program, and was a postdoctoral fellow in child and pediatric psychology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Her research interests are in the area of child and adolescent anxiety disorders. Freeman's particular interests include OCD, cognitive behavioral family interventions, and developmental psychopathology. Her current research focuses on dissemination of treatment and training programs for treatment providers in the area of exposure therapy.
Dr. Freeman was the principal investigator (PI) on an NIMH-funded multisite trial of exposure-based treatment for young children with OCD, site PI or Co-I on a number of past treatment trials for childhood OCD, and currently an MPI on a NIMH funded R21/R33.
Digital hoarding is a relatively new phenomenon that has only recently begun to be studied. Existing research suggests that affected individuals present with similar symptoms and experience comparable negative effects on their psychological well-being as individuals with traditional hoarding disorder. In this module, the concept of digital hoarding and how it compares to traditional hoarding disorder is explained. Furthermore, the application of diagnostic criteria for traditional hoarding disorder in a digital context is discussed.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Mirabelle Mattar, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Psychiatric Co-Director of Selya 6 Inpatient Med/Psych Unit at Hasbro Children's
Mirabelle Mattar, MD went to medical school in Lebanon and continued her training for residency and fellowship at SUNY Upstate Medical University, in Syracuse, NY. She has a fascination for arts and culture and aims to augment creativity in the field of therapy.
The various aspects of having an accent are covered in the module, starting with the clinical reasons for having an accent and progressing to natural accents that develop as a result of speaking a different language and being in an environment different from one's native tongue. Cultural identity and experiences with the indigenous people are also explored. This module goes as far as talking about the effect of this on the therapeutic relationship, whether it's the patient or the provider who's polyglot.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Yvorn Aswad, MD
Yvorn (wy-vern) "Doc" Aswad is a native of South Central Los Angeles, California, where he received his K-12 education in the Los Angeles Unified School District public school system. He received his bachelor's degree from Stanford University and his MD from the Charles Drew/UCLA Medical Education Program. Currently in residency at Brown University in the Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry combined program, Aswad's primary clinical and scholarly activity focus on the physical and mental health of youth who have been impacted by violence and the criminal-legal system. Additionally, he has a focus on using social medicine and public health principles to ensure better access to mental health services for the poor and underserved, both nationally and internationally. He currently resides in Providence, RI.
This module details a clinical vignette of a late adolescent male of color with symptoms that appeared to be consistent with prodromal psychosis. However, through more appropriate questioning and accurate history ascertainment, the patient's symptoms become more consistent with a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD.) The author provides a brief epidemiology of the prevalence of violence among American adolescents, with a recognition that physicians and other mental health professionals are not often taught to think of violence exposure as an etiology of disease.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
C. Paula Lewis-de los Angeles, MD/PhD
Chief Resident of the Brown University Triple Board Combined Program in Pediatrics, Adult Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Prior to residency, C. Paula Lewis-de los Angeles, MD/PhD received her undergraduate training at Stanford University, a master’s in education in the Mind, Brain, and Education track at Harvard University, and her MD/PhD at Northwestern University. During her PhD in neuroscience, she studied brain development in youth with perinatally-acquired HIV. At Brown, Dr. Lewis-de los Angeles is involved in medical education and research. Her clinical and academic interests include the med-psych interface, the effect of early adverse experiences in neurodevelopment, medical education, school health, and community outreach.
Sally Elliott, MD, MPH
Outpatient child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Family Service of Rhode Island
Sally Elliott, MD, MPH graduated from the Combined Residency Training Program in Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Child Psychiatry (Triple Board) in 2023 at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Elliott received her BA from Dartmouth College. She received her master of public health degree from the Fielding School of Public Health at UCLA and her medical degree from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA in 2018.
Jamie Gainor DiPietro, MD
Child Psychiatrist at the Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospital Program
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University
Jamie Gainor DiPietro, MD earned degrees in biology and in health policy and management from Providence College in 2008 and earned a medical doctorate from The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University in 2013. She subsequently completed a Triple Board residency in pediatrics, psychiatry, and child psychiatry at Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital in 2018.
This case-based program will explore school avoidance and refusal, highlighting causes, developmental factors, and the importance of school attendance for improved health and educational outcomes. It will support a variety of mental health professions in understanding the importance of an exposure-based approach to school avoidance and highlight their role in creating a partnership between families, schools, and health care professionals in helping the student overcome school refusal.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Brittany S. Johnson
Brittany S. Johnson graduated from Hofstra University in 2021 where she double majored in psychology and Spanish and enjoyed a minor in neuroscience. She works on a variety of research projects for the Rhode Island Resilience Lab and the STAR COBRE for Stress, Trauma and Resilience. Her research interests include investigating the effects of and interventions against traumatic and/or stressful experiences, especially those uniquely endured by members of marginalized communities. Johnson has presented work on linguistic indicators of posttraumatic stress disorder and suicidality as observed through verbal communication and online social networking.
Shaquanna Brown, PhD
Research Scientist at the Center for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine (CBPM) at The Miriam Hospital, and the COBRE Center for Stress, Trauma, and Resilience (STAR COBRE)
Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Shaquanna Brown, PhD's program of research focuses on mechanisms of risk and resilience in the context of childhood adversity (e.g., child maltreatment), with a particular interest in adolescent risk behaviors, such as substance use. Dr. Brown earned her doctorate in clinical child psychology at the University of Kansas and completed her clinical psychology internship at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. She came to Brown and CBPM in 2020 as an NIH postdoctoral research fellow in the Childhood Stress, Trauma, and Resilience (STAR) T32 training program. Her research is currently supported by a K08 Career Development Award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K08DA056697) and the STAR COBRE (P20GM139767).
Tracey M. Guthrie, MD
Tracey M. Guthrie joined the Brown faculty in 1999 and has been involved with medical student education at Brown since 2002 and psychiatry residency training since 2005. As a clinician educator, she has served in many leadership roles within the department including associate clerkship director and clerkship site director in psychiatry for Brown medical students, assistant and associate residency training director and director of the Residency Continuity Clinic. Dr. Guthrie has received several teaching awards, including The Outstanding Teaching Award, both in medical education and in general psychiatry, The Innovation in Medical Education Award from the Memorial Hospital Internal Medicine Training Program, The Psychiatry Resident Award to Talented and Learned Educators (PRATTLE award), The Triple Board Program Teaching and Advocacy Award, and the Dean’s Excellence in Teaching Award. Dr. Guthrie currently serves on the board of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training (AADPRT). She will be President of AADPRT in 2025.
Dr. Guthrie has a strong commitment to inclusion and equity, and she serves as an assistant dean for diversity in the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs (ODMA) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She is committed to supporting the development of an inclusive learning environment at Brown through recruitment and mentorship of under-represented minority students, trainees, and faculty.
The Strong Black Woman (SBW) Schema is a racial-gendered stereotype that depicts black women and girls as having relentless and excessive strength, sustained capacity for caregiving, and the skillful management of multiple roles and responsibilities. Black girls often feel internal and external pressure to uphold this schema as early as age five. This schema is linked to a myriad of social, psychological, and health-related consequences as it upholds unrealistic and unhealthy expectations upon black girls and women. Educators, school officials, and clinical practitioners are in unique positions to combat this schema and its harmful effects.
By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
Katherine Partridge, PsyD
Psychologist in the Pediatric Partial Hospital Program at Bradley Hospital
Katherine Partridge, PsyD focuses on working with young children, their families, and their systems of care. Dr. Partridge has specialized training in infant mental health and child and family forensic psychology and holds an appointment as a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated and accelerated the utilization of technology-assisted interventions in mental healthcare. The following module will explore the applications of technology-assisted work in the context of dyadic coaching for children/caregivers and in-vivo supervision for trainees working with young children and their families. Specifically, this module will explore some of the risks and benefits to the intersection of technology, intervention, and supervision related to young children and considerations for potential risks and benefits of continued use as the COVID-19 pandemic becomes less severe.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Rebecca Laptook, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospital Program
Assistant Professor (Clinical) of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Assistant Professor (Clinical) of Pediatrics, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Rebecca Laptook, PhD, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She completed an internship at NY Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical School and a subsequent child postdoctoral fellowship at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. Dr. Laptook is a staff psychologist at the Hasbro Children's Partial Hospital Program and, as part of the multidisciplinary team, provides individual, family, and group therapy to children and adolescents presenting with combined medical and psychiatric illnesses. Additionally, she is engaged in various supervisory, teaching, and research activities as part of the partial hospital program as well as coordinates educational programming for staff, trainees, and the larger psychology department. Dr. Laptook has also worked with children and families in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Child and Family Psychiatry and has a particular interest and expertise in childhood anxiety, selective mutism, child temperament, and parent-child interactions.
This module describes the concept of coping or distress tolerance skills. It reviews how these skills can be helpful in navigating situations where there is physical and/or emotional distress. It also describes the role of expectations when utilizing these strategies as well as the importance of being aware of and open to the various forms that coping skills can take.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Vicenta Hudziak, MD
Child Psychiatrist at the Hasbro Partial Hospitalization Program
Vicenta Hudziak received her MD from the Larner College of Medicine at the University of Vermont. Hudziak completed residency training in the Triple Board Program in Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Child Psychiatry at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Prior to medical school, she completed a 200-hour Yoga Alliance teacher training program at Health Yoga Life in Boston, MA. She teaches yoga once a month on two units at the RITS.
This module reviews the implementation of an optional yoga class at the Rhode Island Training School, reviews trauma-informed practice considerations, and introduces programs which have successfully implemented somatic practices for adolescents.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Stephen J. Sheinkopf, PhD
Director of the Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment
Professor, University of Missouri
Stephen J. Sheinkopf, PhD is a graduate of Tufts University and holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Miami. Dr. Sheinkopf completed his internship and postdoctoral training at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He works as both a clinician and a researcher with expertise in the area of autism and developmental disabilities. His research addresses the early development of children with autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including infant signs of risk for ASD and the development of language and social behaviors in ASD. Sheinkopf’s clinical service is focused on the early diagnosis and clinical management of autism. He is director of the Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment.
This article provides a brief overview of the state of knowledge regarding the presentation of autism in infancy, and includes case examples derived from composites of patients seen in an early diagnostic evaluation and follow up clinic. Autism is a condition that can be severe by early childhood, by which time symptoms are clearly present. However, even for children whose condition emerges as being severe, the presentation in infancy is most often subtle, making early detection very challenging. This has implications for research, as well as for clinicians, who are involved in early screening and diagnosis.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
El desarrollo social y emocional y del desarrollo de bebés y niños pequeños es la base de todo el desarrollo e implica la capacidad de un bebé de expresar y regular las emociones, formar relaciones positivas con otras personas y explorar y aprender ávidamente. Durante los 3 primeros años de vida, el cerebro de un bebé se desarrolla más rápidamente que en cualquier otro momento. Este desarrollo toma forma con las experiencias del bebé con sus padres (y otros familiares cercanos); las primeras experiencias de su bebé con usted son importantes y duran toda la vida.
El curso Bases de Bradley incluye 10 módulos basados en computadora que ofrecen información sobre el desarrollo social y emocional y del desarrollo de un bebé y destaca la importancia de las experiencias de relaciones positivas tempranas para un desarrollo saludable.
G. Oana Costea, MD
Director of the Children’s Program at Bradley Hospital
Associate Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
G. Oana Costea, MD is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and has staff appointments at Bradley and Rhode Island Hospitals. Dr. Costea has been the director of the children’s inpatient program for nine years providing care to children with severe emotional and behavioral disturbances. As part of her work on an acute inpatient unit, Dr. Costea has provided pharmacological management for children with emotional and behavioral disorders that otherwise would not respond or would have limited response to therapeutic interventions. Additionally, working with families in a state of crisis and caregivers with their own emotional disorders with focus on stabilizing the entire family system has been a core component of Dr. Costea’s clinical work.
In the context of increased availability of community-based mental health treatment, rehabilitation programs, and advances in psychopharmacology, more patients with serious mental illness are now parents, many with young children. Consequently, there has been increased attention toward the potential impact on children of parental mental illness. The module discusses the protective and risk factors influencing the impact of parental mental illness on child outcomes, including biological, illness-related, environmental, and child-related factors. Additionally, both adult- and child-focused interventions that could optimize the child outcomes are reviewed.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Rebecca Laptook, PhD
Staff Psychologist at Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospital Program
Assistant Professor (Clinical) of Psychiatry and Human Behavior as well as Assistant Professor (Clinical) of Pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Rebecca Laptook, PhD, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She completed an internship at NY Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical School and a subsequent child postdoctoral fellowship at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. Dr. Laptook is a staff psychologist at the Hasbro Children's Partial Hospital Program and, as part of the multidisciplinary team, provides individual, family, and group therapy to children and adolescents presenting with combined medical and psychiatric illnesses. Additionally, she is engaged in various supervisory, teaching, and research activities as part of the partial hospital program as well as coordinates educational programming for staff, trainees, and the larger psychology department. Dr. Laptook has also worked with children and families in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Child and Family Psychiatry and has a particular interest and expertise in childhood anxiety, selective mutism, child temperament, and parent-child interactions.
This presentation will provide a broad overview of conversion disorder with an emphasis of how to understand it in terms of the mind-body connection. In particular, the importance of the role of medical providers and the language that is used to help families understand the diagnosis will be discussed. This presentation will aim to help providers develop a better understanding of both the barriers that lead to families not progressing in treatment as well as the supports needed to help families accept a diagnosis and treatment approach for conversion disorder.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Joshua Kemp, PhD
Clinical Psychologist at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center at Bradley Hospital
Assistant Professor (Research) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Joshua Kemp, PhD received his PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Wyoming in 2016 and completed his clinical psychology internship training at Brown University in 2015. He remained at Brown for his post-doctoral training and was selected for a NIH-funded T32 postdoctoral fellowship in child mental health within the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center (PARC) at Bradley Hospital. Dr. Kemp is currently appointed as a staff psychologist in the PARC program at Bradley Hospital and as an assistant professor (research) in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. Dr. Kemp’s program of research focuses on the influence of therapists’ beliefs and behaviors on the utilization and quality delivery of exposure therapy for patients with anxiety disorders. In addition to providing outpatient services for anxious youth and their families, he is also the principle investigator on a NIMH-funded study examining strategies for enhancing exposure therapy training among community mental health providers.
This program will provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of the Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) model for anxiety, the retinae for how and why exposure-based CBT works to reduce anxiety symptoms, and the therapist-level barriers that must be addressed in order to optimize the dissemination and quality delivery of exposure. Participants will be provided a case example to illustrate the application of the CBT model to therapist-level barriers to exposure utilization in practice. Evidence-based strategies for overcoming these barriers will be reviewed.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Margaret Mannix, PhD
Staff Psychologist at Rhode Island Hospital's Division of Child and Family Psychiatry and Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospital Program
Assistant Professor (Clinical) at Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Margaret Mannix, PhD is a pediatric psychologist who works primarily with children and families who have both medical issues and psychological concerns. She earned her doctorate in clinical psychology, with a specialization in health psychology, from Yeshiva University in 2009. She completed an internship in child clinical psychology at the Franciscan Hospital for Children, and a fellowship in pediatric psychology at Brown Medical School in 2010. She currently provides clinical services to the Hasbro Partial Hospital Program as well as the Rhode Island Hospital department of outpatient psychiatry. Dr. Mannix participates in the training of interns, residents, and fellows in psychology, psychiatry, and pediatrics. Her primary research interest is coping with chronic illness, especially pediatric cancer.
The DSM-5 updates to the eating disorder category have several implications for diagnosis and clinical care. Research ahead of the updated guidelines emphasized the high prevalence of eating disorder-NOS diagnoses, whether binge eating disorder is a valid diagnosis, whether amenorrhea should be a criterion for anorexia nervosa (AN), and the frequency of behaviors required for bulimia nervosa. DSM-5 updates may result in more individuals being diagnosed with AN versus ED-NOS. Overall, changes have the potential to improve treatment guidelines for all patients with eating disorders and to significantly further our knowledge as providers and researchers.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Jeffrey Hunt, MD
Professor and Program Director at the CAP Fellowship and Triple Board Program
Director of Inpatient and Intensive Services at Bradley Hospital
Associate Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Jeffrey Hunt, MD is professor and deputy division director in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. He is the program director for the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship and the Combined Program in Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Child Psychiatry (Triple Board) residency. He is also director of inpatient and intensive services at Bradley Hospital. Dr. Hunt has been co-investigator on several NIMH funded studies relating to mood disorders including the Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth study (COBY) over the last 15 years. Dr. Hunt currently is co-chair of the Life Long Learning Committee and also serves on ABPN and ACGME committees. Dr. Hunt received his MD from the Medical College of Wisconsin and general and child and adolescent psychiatry training at the Medical College of Pennsylvania at the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (now Drexel University College of Medicine).
Michelle Parker, MD
Attending Psychiatrist at the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Assistant Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Michelle Parker, MD is a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Bradley Hospital. She works as the attending psychiatrist of the Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Intensive Outpatient Program as well as in Bradley’s outpatient department, where she spends part of her time consulting to pediatricians in the community through the PediPRN program. Dr. Parker received her bachelor’s degree in human physiology from Boston University in 2011. She went on to receive her medical degree from the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 2015. Dr. Parker completed her residency training in general adult psychiatry followed by fellowship training in child and adolescent psychiatry at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
The efficacy and safety of Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for severe mood disorders continues to be at the bottom of treatment algorithms and is likely underutilized. This may unnecessarily prolong treatment or result in hospitalization in a severely ill adolescent, where ECT has been associated with a decrease in the number of hospital days (Ghaziuddin et al., 2004; Shoirah & Hamoda, 2011). When comparing this relatively safe and rapidly effective treatment against prolonged titration and manipulation of multiple psychopharmacologic agents, lengthy psychiatric hospitalization, and detrimental psychosocial consequences of untreated illness, ECT should be considered sooner as a potentially life-altering intervention for select severely ill patients.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Maria Teresa Coutinho, PhD
Research Staff Psychologist at Rhode Island and its Hasbro Children's Hospital
Assistant Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Maria Teresa Coutinho, PhD is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Department of Pediatrics at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Coutinho is a research staff psychologist at Rhode Island and its Hasbro Children's Hospital. Dr. Coutinho completed her MA and PhD in counseling psychology at Boston College.
Prior to joining the faculty at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Dr. Coutinho completed a research fellowship in pediatric psychology focused on urban and ethnic minority families’ sense of empowerment in accessing health care services for their children with asthma. Dr. Coutinho’s research focuses on cultural, social and health care system factors that impact urban and ethnic minority children and families’ health care utilization. Specifically, Dr. Coutinho’s current research focuses on enhancing the transition to adult health care for urban racial and ethnic minority adolescents with asthma, and enhancing health care utilization for black children with asthma and their families with the goal of decreasing emergency department use for asthma. Dr. Coutinho also leads training initiatives aimed at enhancing behavioral healthcare providers’ understanding of racial and ethnic identity and its impact on the provision of behavioral health services
In this article we define ethnic identity and its relevance for youth mental health and development, describe the process of ethnic identity development, and discuss strategies for caregivers, clinicians and educators to support positive ethnic identity development in our youth.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Danielle Sipsock, MD
Child Psychiatrist at the Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders of Maine Behavioral Healthcare
Danielle Sipsock, MD is a child psychiatrist at the Center for Autism and Developmental Disorders of Maine Behavioral Healthcare. She completed the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship and the T32 Child Mental Health Research Fellowship at Brown in 2020. She has a research and clinical focus on autism spectrum disorders and co-occurring psychiatric conditions. Her research has been supported by multiple grants including the Thrasher Research Fund Early Career Award Program Grant and the Bailey’s Team for Autism Award, and during training she was the recipient of multiple awards including the International Society of Autism’s Research Student Award and AACAP’s Educational Outreach Award. She is currently developing an independent program of clinical research in ASD and plans to continue presenting and publishing her research findings.
Kristyn Storey, MD
Chief Fellow of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Assistant Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Kristyn Storey, MD received her BS in psychology from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 2010, followed by her medical degree from the State University of New York Upstate Medical University, Syracuse in 2014. She completed residency in general psychiatry at Brown, where she was active in developing strategies to improve wellness for psychiatry trainees, including founding the Psychiatry Film Club. Dr. Storey then completed her fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry at Brown where she continued to promote wellbeing initiatives for both trainees and faculty and was active in editing book proposals focused on the role of film in psychiatry. She now serves as the attending child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Pediatric Partial Hospital Program at Bradley Hospital in Rhode Island which specializes in treatment of early childhood emotional and behavioral disorders.
This article highlights the many ways psychiatric topics have been portrayed in film and influenced society’s understanding and perspective of mental health and mental illness. It examines the potential for using cinema as an avenue for teaching, increasing awareness, and decreasing stigma associated with mental illness. It uses the film Hunt for the Wilderpeople as an example of a starting point for the discussion and exploration of common themes within child psychiatry.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Infant and Toddler social emotional health and development is a foundation of all development, involving a baby’s ability to express and regulate emotions, form positive relationships with others, and eagerly explore and learn. During the first three years of life, a baby’s brain develops more rapidly than at any other time. This development is shaped by the baby’s experiences with parents (and other primary family members)—your baby’s early experiences with you matter, and they last a lifetime.
Bradley’s Foundations course includes 10 computer-based modules that offer insights about a baby’s social emotional health and development, and it highlights the importance of positive early relationship experiences for healthy development.
Click below for more information and to register online:
Andrea Gold, PhD
Staff Psychologist at the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center at Bradley Hospital
Assistant Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Andrea L. Gold, PhD, is a staff psychologist in the Pediatric Anxiety Research Center (PARC) at Bradley Hospital and clinical assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and Human Behavior at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She completed her doctoral training in clinical psychology at Yale University and clinical internship in the DBT track at Yale-New Haven Hospital, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the Emotion and Development Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health, where she focused on pediatric anxiety disorders. Her clinical and research interests include dialectical behavior therapy, emotion dysregulation, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, and developmental psychopathology. Reach her at [email protected].
Mona Yaptangco, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Mona Yaptangco, PhD received her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Utah. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute, and her post doctoral fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University where she conducted clinical work with children and multi-problem adolescents in the Children’s Partial Hospitalization Program and the Mindful Teen Program. After completing her post doctoral fellowship, Dr. Yaptangco returned to Salt Lake City and currently works as a youth inpatient psychologist at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute. In this role, she continues to implement DBT approaches and techniques while working with adolescents with a range of presentations including mood disorders, suicidal ideation, and self-harm behaviors. Her clinical and research interests include internalizing disorders and emotion regulation in children and adolescents.
This program focuses on the application of dialectical strategies as an intervention method taught in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and its adolescent adaptation (DBT-A). The paper describes different ways in which DBT teaches therapists to apply a dialectical framework throughout treatment, and discusses practical applications of dialectical strategies from the DBT and DBT-A treatment manuals. Eight specific dialectical strategies are discussed and illustrated with clinical examples, including an adolescent case example representing the “high-risk multiproblem adolescent” for whom DBT-A was developed.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Horacio Hojman, MD
Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Child and Family Psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital
Associate Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Horacio Hojman, MD has more than 20 years of experience in outpatient child psychiatry working with diverse populations in the practice of hospital, school and community psychiatry. He also works with the Latino population in different settings given that he comes from a Hispanic background from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dr. Hojman also practices psychodynamic psychotherapy and his specialty area is the interface between psychotherapy and psychopharmacology.
He received his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. After his initial residency in general psychiatry in Buenos Aires, he trained at the Tavistock Clinic in London, England on adolescent psychoanalysis and later came to the United States where he completed his residency in general psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and at the Massachusetts/McLearn combined program in Boston.
He has been part of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior since 1997. He also belongs to the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute.
This course gives an overview on how to approach, consult and treat children and adolescent mental health needs by assimilating to their cultural needs as well as applying comprehensive treatment tools and plans. Community psychodynamic understanding on mental health has been of paramount importance in this endeavor.
Horacio Hojman, MD has traveled with the Medical Brigades for three years to Honduras due to his interest in global mental health.
He was able to immerse himself in a small agricultural community in the central mountain valleys of Honduras were he started to organize consults around child and adolescent mental health, referral resources to clinic and working along with other medical specialties within the brigades.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
David P. Lichtenstein, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Bradley Hospital's Verrecchia Clinic for Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Assistant Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
David P. Lichtenstein, PhD Lichtenstein has been working in the child development and mental health field for nearly twenty years, with extensive experience in both school- and community-based programs for children. He holds a doctoral and master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Oregon and an undergraduate degree from Brown University.
As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Lichtenstein is currently a classroom team leader and staff psychologist for Brown University Health School Solutions, a private non-profit that serves students with emotional, psychiatric, and developmental difficulties in both public and independent schools. He also holds an appointment as a clinical assistant professor at the Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. His previous positions include a role as a clinician in children’s intensive services (home-based programming) as well as outpatient community mental health. He has published in the areas of mental health, substance abuse, and student development.
This module investigates the promise and pitfalls of home-based mental health services for youth. It briefly reviews the theory behind home-based services, then uses two very different examples to examine the effectiveness of these services. The evidence base is reviewed for a rigorously tested, university-developed program (multisystemic therapy) as well as for a community-based program developed by local providers (children’s intensive services in Rhode Island). The module raises questions about how well these programs are meeting their stated objectives, and concludes by summing up the significant challenges that remain in serving children and families.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Janine Galione, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Bradley
Hospital Outpatient Department and
The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University
Janine Galione, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist serving in the outpatient department at Bradley Hospital. Dr. Galione earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Miami and completed her doctoral work in clinical psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. She spent her internship and postdoctoral fellowship training in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) at the Center for Behavioral Medicine in Kansas City and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, respectively. Galione currently splits her time between clinical practice and research. She serves as a clinician for Mindful Teen, an outpatient DBT program targeting suicide and self-harm behaviors in multi-problem youth. Her research interests broadly include interpersonal sensitivity, personality pathology, and suicide risk in LGBQ youth. Galione is currently involved in Dr. Nicole Nugent’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) project investigating biomarkers, social, and affective predictors of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents.
Kerri L Kim, PhD
Clinical Psychologist and DBT Program Manager, Bradley Hospital
Clinical Psychologist and DBT Program Manager, Bradley Hospital
Kerri L. Kim, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and DBT Program Manager at Bradley Hospital. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island and doctorate from the Clinical Child Psychology Program at the University of Kansas. She completed both her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. The primary goal of Dr. Kim’s clinical and research work is to promote resilience – that is, positive mental health outcomes for children and adolescents experiencing a range of life stressors.
Amanda Pelletier, LICSW
National Institute of Mental Health Clinical Director COMPASS Program, Bradley Hospital
Director, COMPASS Program, Bradley Hospital
Amanda Pelletier, LICSW is a licensed independent clinical social worker. She is currently the clinical director of the Compass Program, a Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Adolescents (DBT-A) residential treatment program.
This presentation will highlight the need for family involvement in residential treatment facilities, and specifically focuses on the advantages of implementing DBT-A as an evidence based model for residential programs. The paper will discuss factors that lead to caregiver burden among multi-problem youth with self-destructive behaviors, while also introducing the concept of validation and parent training in other DBT-A skills as means for diminishing the impact of burnout.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Kristin Knapp-Ines, PhD, BCBA-D
Psychologist at the Verrecchia Outpatient Clinic at Bradley Hospital
Clinical Assistant Professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Kristin Knapp-Ines, PhD, BCBA-D is a licensed clinical psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst specializing in autism specific assessment and individual, family, and group therapy for children with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities and their families. She works at the Verrecchia Outpatient Clinic at Bradley Hospital and has been appointed to the position of clinical assistant professor at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Dr. Knapp-Ines has three decades of experience implementing interventions with children with significant emotional and behavior challenges. She emphasizes the role of executive function deficits in triggering challenging behaviors in children with neurodevelopmental difficulties. As a former faculty member at the State University of New York, she developed and taught graduate level courses on behavior assessment and behavior change, supervised psychology graduate students at a diagnostic training clinic and was involved in outcome-based research.
Dr. Knapp-Ines has presented extensively on topics related to executive functions, positive behavior support and coping strategies and has provided consulting services to families, school districts, educational organizations, and medical providers. She earned her PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Tübingen in Germany and serves on the New York State Board for Applied Behavior Analysis.
This module discusses the importance of executive functions in regulating emotions and behavior. It highlights how executive functions are essential skills that we use in our daily lives, but often take for granted. The development of executive functions from infancy to adulthood are explored with different skills peaking at various developmental stages. The course emphasizes that adverse environmental circumstances can hinder the growth of executive functions and address the challenges faced by children with delayed executive function skills, including social and academic difficulties. The course discusses promising interventions and programs aimed at fostering executive functions, such as computerized programs, classroom curricula, cognitive behavior training, and mindfulness practices. The author advocates for the integration of executive function building programs into educational settings and address the importance of caregiver support.
By the end of the course, learners will be able to:
Mandy Witkin, LICSW, MEd
Clinical Social Work Supervisor at Bradley Hospital
Teaching Associate at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Mandy Witkin, LICSW, MEd, is a clinical director in the Children’s Partial Hospital Program and the Children’s Safequest Program at Bradley Hospital. Witkin completed her BA in psychology and early childhood education at Wheaton College in Massachusetts and her master’s in special education and masters in social work at Boston College. Witkin has worked at Bradley for the past 13 years initially in the children’s inpatient unit. Witkin is a teaching associate in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Witkin is also the co-education director of the social work and counseling department training program and has a private practice where she does psychotherapy with children, adolescents and their families.
Most people daydream, maybe even every day. Certain individuals possess the ability to daydream so vividly that they can experience their presence in the imaginary environment of their creation. In some cases, depending on a number of factors like severity and frequency, such daydreaming may suggest a psychiatric condition called maladaptive daydreaming, or MD. In addition, these individuals also experience constant compulsions to switch to the fantasy several times during the day, which has led experts to believe that it is a behavioral addiction. Those who suffer from this reportedly spend almost 60 percent of their waking hours in imaginary worlds of their own creation but, without losing touch with reality, realize that it is a fantasy they are immersing themselves into. This is still an evolving area of research, and is yet to be formally recognized as a disorder by the American Psychological Association (APA), but it’s clear that people around the world are experiencing similar symptoms, causing significant disruption in functioning. This article will look at common symptoms, etiology and potential treatments for those who experience maladaptive daydreaming.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Margaret Mannix, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Rhode Island Hospital
Division of Child and Family Psychiatry
Assistant Professor, Clinician Educator, Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Pediatrics
The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Margaret Mannix, PhD, received her doctorate in clinical psychology in 2009 from Yeshiva University. She completed her predoctoral internship at the Franciscan Hospital for Children, where she primarily worked with children and families on the medical rehabilitation units. Her fellowship in pediatric psychology at Brown Medical School focused on providing clinical services to the pediatric hematology/oncology department. She currently provides clinical care and resident teaching at the Hasbro Partial Hospital Program and The Tomorrow Fund, Hasbro’s pediatric oncology clinic. She serves on the RI Hospital/Hasbro Ethics Committee and is a board member of The Adolescent Leadership Council (TALC). She is also a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) volunteer.
This presentation will provide a brief overview of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5 (DSM-5) changes to the Autism Spectrum Disorder category and will offer a particular focus on medical co-morbidities. Sleep problems, allergies, and gastrointestinal (GI) problems are reviewed in detail. A brief case highlights a patient with ASD and associated GI and nutritional problems. Together, the background information along with the case should allow the learner to develop a greater understanding of diagnostic and treatment complexities in this population.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Kathleen Kemp, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Rhode Island Hospital Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center
Director, Rhode Island Family Court Mental Health Clinic
Assistant Professor (Research), Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Kathleen Kemp, PhD, is an assistant professor (research) with The Warren Alpert Medical School and a staff psychologist in Rhode Island Hospital's department of child and adolescent psychiatry and the Bradley/Hasbro Children's Research Center. She earned her graduate degree at Drexel University and completed her predoctoral internship at University of Massachusetts Medical School/Worcester State Hospital. Dr. Kemp completed her forensic psychology fellowship at the University of Virginia's Department of Neurobehavioral Science, Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy and Western State Hospital. She has extensive training in juvenile forensic assessment with court-involved youth as well as gender-specific interventions with girls in the juvenile justice system. Her clinical research focuses on developmental factors impacting youths' mental health, substance use, and juvenile justice trajectories as well as the translation of evidence-based treatment to the juvenile justice population.
Brittney Poindexter, PhD
Brittney Poindexter, PhD Research Scientist, Rhode Island Hospital Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Bradley Hasbro Children's Research CenterResearch Scientist, Rhode Island Hospital Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center
Instructor (Research), Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Brittney Poindexter, PhD received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Ohio University, and recently received her doctorate degree in psychology from the University of Rhode Island. As an early-career researcher, Dr. Poindexter serves as the project director for multiple NIH-funded studies, including a prospective cohort study exploring the longitudinal developmental course of delinquency, behavioral risk and mental health outcomes among court-involved but non-incarcerated juvenile offenders. She is also an Instructor (Research) within the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Dr. Poindexter’s research investigates the influence of cultural and socio-contextual factors that contribute to pediatric behavioral and health outcomes, and aims to reduce pediatric health disparities that impact youth in disadvantaged populations.
This presentation offers a review of literature that examines the pervasive impact of suicide and suicidal behaviors among populations of juvenile justice-involved youth. The program focuses discussion on methods to screen, identify and address suicidal ideation across the various points of interception within the juvenile justice system. Safety planning is offered as a potential stand-alone brief intervention within juvenile justice settings. This presentation provides an increased knowledge of suicide as a public health issue, and pinpoints the necessity for systems-level partnerships and collaboration among stakeholders in juvenile justice, and public health systems, to create more successful prevention and intervention strategies.
Course Details
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Shannon Terkell, MD
Attending Psychiatrist at Bradley Hospital and Gateway Healthcare
Assistant Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Shannon Terkell, MD, is an attending psychiatrist at Bradley Hospital and Gateway Healthcare in Rhode Island, and a clinical assistant professor through the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University. Her background includes work in inpatient and outpatient psychiatry with children and adolescents in academic and community settings, as well as collaboration with a telephonic consultation service to pediatric primary care providers.
Review of a case report illustrating the intersection between adolescent mental and reproductive health and relationship violence.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Presented by
Horacio Hojman, MD
Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Child and Family Psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital
Associate Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Horacio Hojman, MD, has more than 20 years of experience in Outpatient Child Psychiatry working with diverse populations in the practice of Hospital, School and Community Psychiatry. He also works with the Latino population in different settings given that he comes from a Hispanic background from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dr. Hojman also practices psychodynamic psychotherapy and his specialty area is the interface between Psychotherapy and Psychopharmacology.
He received his Medical Degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. After his initial residency in general psychiatry in Buenos Aires, he trained at the Tavistock Clinic in London, England on adolescent psychoanalysis and later came to the United States where he completed his residency in general psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and at the Massachusetts/McLearn combined program in Boston.
He has been part of Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior since 1997. He also belongs to the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute.
About this Course
The use of medication in children and adolescents has expanded beyond evidence-based practice. Therefore, understanding the meaning of medication may result in better outcomes for children and families.
This article reviews the prescribing of medication to children and adolescents as an individual family and system intervention as well as taking into account the importance of developmental issues for successful prescribing practices and intervention.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Von Maria Rodriguez-Guzman, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist and T32 Research Fellow, Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Von Maria Rodriguez-Guzman, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist and a T32 research fellow at Rhode Island Hospital and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.
Dr. Rodriguez-Guzman holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Ponce Health Sciences University and an undergraduate degree in psychology from University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez Campus. She is a licensed clinical psychologist in the states of New York and Rhode Island. She completed her pre-doctoral internship and first post-doctoral experience in New York University Lutheran Family Health Centers in Brooklyn.
Dr. Rodriguez-Guzman is currently a T32 research fellow in the child track working on ongoing research examining the ways social context influence post-trauma adjustment in weeks following a traumatic event. Her career has focused in the examination of feasibility of a trauma focused intervention for Latino children and the characterization of health disparities, the role of acculturation and other cultural influences in Latino youth in the aftermath of a trauma.
This presentation will provide an introduction to the term psychological resilience. In particular, the resilience behaviors seen in Puerto Rican community in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. This information will allow the development of a better understanding of resilience and how therapist can promote resilience in people after a natural disaster.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Horacio Hojman, MD, MBA
Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Child and Family Psychiatry, Rhode Island Hospital
Associate Professor (Clinical), Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Horacio Hojman, MD, MBA has more than twenty years of experience in outpatient child psychiatry working with diverse populations in the practice of hospital, school and community psychiatry. He also works with the Latino population in different settings given that he comes from a Hispanic background and is from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dr. Hojman also practices psychodynamic psychotherapy and his specialty area is the interface between psychotherapy and psychopharmacology.
He had his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. After his initial residency in general psychiatry in Buenos Aires, he trained at the Tavistock Clinic in London, England in adolescent psychoanalysis and later came to the United States, were he completed his residency in general psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and at the Massachusetts/McLean combined program in Boston. He has been part of department of psychiatry and human behavior since 1997. He has taught general psychiatry residents, fellows and medical students. He also belongs to the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute.
About this Course
This course describes the importance of being able to speak the Spanish language among mental health professionals, which can significantly lower barriers to access to mental health services and improve quality of care among Hispanic children and their families. Being able to speak the Spanish language is more effective than interpreter services, as it increases cultural competence and leads to greater understanding of developing and growing up within two language cultures.
In recent years there has been a significant increase of the Latino/Hispanic population in the United States. It is a necessity for mental health professionals to learn the Spanish language as well as create Spanish language courses for young professionals in schools of medicine, psychology, nursing, and social work. A practitioner who speaks Spanish, even without full native fluency, can make children and immigrant parents feel welcome and also intensify the working alliance.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Priya F. Gearin, MD
Priya Gearin, MD received her BS in biology from Truman State University in 2014 and her MD from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 2018. She completed her general psychiatry residency in 2021 at Harvard South Shore, where she developed an interest in outpatient psychiatry and received the Resident Professionalism Award. She also completed a one-year program at the Boston Psychoanalytic Society and Institute from 2020 to 2021 to obtain additional training in contemporary psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches in child therapy. Upon completing her child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship, she will be joining the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha as an outpatient child and adolescent psychiatrist and assistant professor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
This module begins by reviewing the history of borderline personality disorder, both in terms of diagnosis and treatment. It then discusses the genetic basis for the disorder, describing key terms including heritability, and reviews findings from a population-based familial aggregation study and molecular genetic studies. Lastly, it reviews brain regions involved in BPD from neuroimaging research.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Jennifer Hellmuth, PhD
Clinical Director of the Children’s Partial Hospital Program at Bradley Hospital
Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
This module describes the steps and challenges to adapting the evidence-based Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) model for use on a child’s psychiatric inpatient unit. Included are initial steps taken to implement the model, specific strategies for promoting positive behaviors and staff engagement, data collected to assess fidelity and outcomes, and challenges that are unique to this high acuity setting.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
David Lichenstein, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Bradley Hospital's Verrecchia Clinic for Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Assistant Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
David Lichtenstein, PhD has been working in the child development and mental health field for 20 years, with experience in both school- and community-based programs for children. He holds a doctoral and master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of Oregon and an undergraduate degree from Brown University.
As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Lichtenstein is currently a Classroom Team Leader and Staff Psychologist for Brown University Health School Solutions, a private non-profit that serves students with emotional, psychiatric, and developmental difficulties in both public and independent schools. He currently works at Bradley School North in Cumberland, RI. He also holds an appointment as a clinical assistant professor at The Warren Alpert School of Brown University.
Susan Donovan
Susan Donovan joined RIPIN in January of 2003. She has been the program director of training and information at RIPIN for the last 10 years. Prior to that Donovan worked with the education team as a manager, team lead and transition coordinator.
Donovan has raised three children and has navigated various systems of care, including special education and related services.
This program uses case studies to consider how socio-cultural and contextual factors such as poverty may influence the presentation of mental health and educational challenges for students and families. It briefly reviews strategies (such as Motivational Interviewing and peer support) which may be helpful in such situations.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Kerri L. Kim, PhD
Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Manager of the DBT-A Program at Bradley Hospital
Associate Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Kerri L. Kim, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist, clinical associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and manager of the DBT-A Program at Bradley Hospital. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island and doctorate from the Clinical Child Psychology Program at the University of Kansas. She completed both her pre-doctoral internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, DC. The primary goal of Dr. Kim’s clinical and research work is to promote resilience – that is, positive mental health outcomes for children and adolescents experiencing a range of life stressors.
Jennifer A. Poon, PhD
University of Alaska Anchorage, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Jennifer A. Poon, PhD completed her undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech, attained a masters in experimental psychology from The College of William and Mary, and completed her doctoral work in clinical psychology (neuroscience concentration) from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Her research leverages multiple methods (e.g., self-report, behavioral observation, cortisol, fMRI, EMA) to investigate mechanisms underlying adolescents’ psychological functioning, including high-risk behaviors such as suicide and NSSI.
She completed a postdoctoral clinical fellowship in adolescent dialectical behavior therapy at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University from 2019-2021. Poon also completed a postdoctoral NRSA/F32 NIMH research fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University from 2021-2023.
This presentation will highlight the high-risk status of youth identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual and/or transgender for suicide and non-suicidal self-injury. It will also introduce Meyer’s minority stress theory (2003) to begin explaining how stigma, prejudice and discrimination create a stressful social environment leading to mental health problems in people who belong to such stigmatized minority groups.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Mary A. Carskadon, PhD
Director, Chronobiology and Sleep Research, Bradley Hospital
Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Mary A. Carskadon, PhD, is director of chronobiology and sleep research at Bradley Hospital and a diplomat of the American Board of Sleep Medicine. She is an expert in sleep patterns, particularly in children and adolescents. Carskadon is a past president of the Sleep Research Society and organized the Women in Sleep Research interest group of the Sleep Research Society. She is a co-founder of the Northeastern Sleep Society and has served on the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research advisory board and as a member of the Development and Behavior Working Group of the National Children's Study. She is a member of the Board of Scientific Counselors, National Space Biomedical Research Institute.
Dr. Carskadon is an associate editor of Behavioral Sleep Medicine. Carskadon received her bachelor's degree in psychology from Gettysburg College and her doctoral degree with distinction in neuro- and biobehavioral sciences from Stanford University, with a specialty in sleep research.
This module provides an overview of issues regarding optimal sleep for adolescents, including how to determine whether sleep is adequate, and steps teens can take, with their parents’ help, to improve their sleep. Guidelines include advice for timing of light exposure, caffeine, and napping. At the end of the day, parents should have a better understanding of the ways they can help their children get more sleep.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Christine Conelea, PhD
University of Minnesota Medical School
Christine Conelea, PhD, trains and supervises clinical psychology and psychiatry students at the University of Minnesota Medical School. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Nevada, Reno and doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Conelea completed her child clinical psychology internship and child mental health fellowship at Brown University. She has published over forty peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the topic of tic and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders. She has been the recipient of research and training funding from the US National Institute of Mental Health. Dr. Conelea’s research and clinical interests are in the phenomenology, etiology, and treatment of tic and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders.
This module will provide an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of tic disorders in youth. The contemporary “neurobehavioral model” of tics will be covered, and current best-practice guidelines for tic management will be discussed, including recommended strategies for assessment, family education, and treatment. Evidence-based behavioral and medication interventions will be described and contrasted to alternative approaches that lack evidence for benefit.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
G. Oana Costea, MD
Director, Children’s Program, Bradley Hospital
Associate Professor (Clinical), Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
G. Oana Costea, MD is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry and human behavior at the Alpert Medical School of Brown University and has staff appointments at Bradley and Rhode Island Hospitals. Dr. Costea has been the director of the children’s inpatient program for nine years providing care to children with severe emotional and behavioral disturbances. As part of her work on an acute inpatient unit, Dr. Costea has provided pharmacological management for children with emotional and behavioral disorders that otherwise would not respond or would have limited response to therapeutic interventions. Additionally, working with families in a state of crisis and caregivers with their own emotional disorders with focus on stabilizing the entire family system has been a core component of Dr. Costea’s clinical work.
Steven J. Barreto, PhD
Associate Professor, Clinical Psychology Department at William James College in Newton, Massachusetts.
Steven J. Barreto, PhD, graduated from Stanford University and received a master’s in sociology and PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. His dissertation examined the utility and validity of the children’s depression inventory among urban African-American school-age children through the Detroit Core Cities Schools Intervention Project. He completed pre- and post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Michigan and a postdoctoral fellowship in the department of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown University, specializing in school-based intervention programs, ADHD assessment and family-centered residential treatment for children with serious emotional disturbance.
Previously, Dr. Barreto was the psychology coordinator of the children’s inpatient program at Bradley Hospital and the clinical director of Exeter House Residential Program as well as senior psychologist at the Bradley pediatric partial hospital program and child partial hospital program. Barreto lectures frequently on topics related to young children with serious emotional disturbance including, family treatment of aggression, bullying and digital aggression, and juvenile firesetting. In 2010 he was the recipient of Henrietta Leonard Award for Excellence in Teaching, in the division of child and adolescent psychiatry.
The increasing use of psychotropic medications in children with emotional and behavioral problems has become a controversial topic over the last several years. Additionally, only a few psychotropic medications carry an FDA indication for use in pediatrics. Therefore, when conditions are resistant to other interventions, psychotropic medications are prescribed “off label” after careful consideration of the risks involved. The module discusses the ethical and developmental aspects involved in talking with children about medications, along with strategies that can improve effectiveness of medication education.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Horacio Hojman, MD
Outpatient Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at Child and Family Psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital
Associate Professor (Clinical) at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Horacio Hojman, MD has more than 20 years of experience in outpatient child psychiatry working with diverse populations in the practice of hospital, school and community psychiatry. He also works with the Latino population in different settings given that he comes from a Hispanic background from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Dr. Hojman also practices psychodynamic psychotherapy and his specialty area is the interface between psychotherapy and psychopharmacology.
He received his medical degree from the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. After his initial residency in general psychiatry in Buenos Aires, he trained at the Tavistock Clinic in London, England on adolescent psychoanalysis and later came to the United States where he completed his residency in general psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago and at the Massachusetts/McLearn combined program in Boston.
He has been part of the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior since 1997. He also belongs to the Boston Psychoanalytic Institute.
Video games have been considered the new contemporary toys of the Twenty First Century. Horacio Hojman, MD has always been interested in using video games and media narratives as a pivotal step to understand the unconscious processes in terms of emotional drives and internal dynamics that children and adolescents reveal within the transference with the therapist. He has learned and studied psychoanalytic clinical papers in the matter through the years and has applied the knowledge to clinical practice.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Rebecca Laptook, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Hasbro Children’s Partial Hospital Program
Assistant Professor (Clinical) of Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Assistant Professor (Clinical) of Pediatrics, The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Rebecca Laptook, PhD, received her doctorate in clinical psychology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. She completed an internship at NY Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical School and a subsequent child postdoctoral fellowship at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System. Dr. Laptook is a staff psychologist at the Hasbro Children's Partial Hospital Program and, as part of the multidisciplinary team, provides individual, family, and group therapy to children and adolescents presenting with combined medical and psychiatric illnesses. Additionally, she is engaged in various supervisory, teaching, and research activities as part of the partial hospital program as well as coordinates educational programming for staff, trainees, and the larger psychology department. Dr. Laptook has also worked with children and families in the outpatient clinic of the Department of Child and Family Psychiatry and has a particular interest and expertise in childhood anxiety, selective mutism, child temperament, and parent-child interactions.
This module provides a brief background on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and focuses on the concept of “dialectics.” In particular, the importance of using the word “and” and demonstrating how it can lead to feelings of validation while also communicating needs will be discussed. This module will aim to help participants develop a better understanding of how simple changes in language can be very powerful and effective in communication and be used as a tool in everyday interactions across all settings, including between friends, colleagues, and parents with children.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
Richard T. Liu, PhD
Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School
Director of Suicide Research in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and of Big Data Studies in the Depression Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital
Richard Liu, PhD, holds a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Temple University and an undergraduate degree in psychology and anthropology from the Cornell University. As a licensed psychologist, Dr. Liu is currently an assistant professor (research) in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior of the Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and a staff psychologist at Bradley Hospital. Liu’s research focuses on identifying processes of risk underlying depression and self-injurious behaviors (suicide and non-suicidal self-injury), particularly in adolescents and young adults.
This presentation will provide a broad overview of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents, including its prevalence in this age group, the reasons teens engage in this behavior, some of the most common risk factors for this behavior, and the current status of research on treatments for NSSI.
At the conclusion of this session, participants should be able to:
Jessica Soto
Jessica Soto received her BA from Georgetown University and completed her MD at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her residency training in adult psychiatry at Yale University and her Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. She then went on to a Forensic Psychiatry Fellowship at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University in July of 2023.
During her time in training, she has demonstrated an interest in navigating the intersection between the mental health and criminal justice systems. She has worked as a tutor in carceral settings and developed programming for youth on probation. She has published peer reviewed articles that explore the management of agitation and aggression in psychiatric practice. This includes papers examining the use of restraints and seclusion as well as the role law enforcement plays in responding to violence on psychiatric units. Jessica has also been an active advocate, working closely with state legislators on a juvenile justice reform bill in the state of Rhode Island.
Currently, the juvenile justice system in Rhode Island has no minimum age requirement for incarceration. As such, even young children in the juvenile justice system have the risk of being exposed to imprisonment. This practice has negative impacts on child development and health later in life. It is also not aligned with current scientific understanding of neurodevelopment. Here, the author outlines the problems associated with this practice and provides an alternative option, which Rhode Island could adopt through its legislature.
By the end of this course learners will be able to:
Michael Gomez, PhD
Staff Psychologist, Bradley Hospital
Michael Gomez, PhD is committed to dissemination of evidence-based practices in psychology. Dr. Gomez was previously director of the Adversity and Resilience Community Center (ARCC), a child trauma behavioral health clinic in the West Texas area, where he was also adjunct professor at Texas Tech University Psychological Sciences; the Texas Tech University College of Education; and the TTUHSC School of Nursing.
He was previously faculty at the Center on Child Abuse and Neglect/Child Study Center Department of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at the OU Health and Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. He specializes in Trauma-Focused CBT, treatment of adolescents with problematic sexual behaviors (PSB), PCIT, TARGET, and assessment of autism spectrum disorders. He is a Nationally Certified TF-CBT Trainer, of which he is one of 70 in the world.
Additionally, he is a Nationally Certified CE-CERT Trainer, a model for addressing burnout and vicarious trauma in providers, of which he is one of 10 in the US. He is also a nationally certified PCIT therapist. He is trained in assessment and diagnostics of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He is one of the three national co-chairs for the National Child Traumatic Stress Networks (NCTSN) Trauma and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Workgroup (formerly the NCTSN Trauma and ASD Community of Practice), as well as a member of the NCTSN Steering Committee, the NCTSN Affiliate Program, and the NCTSN Youth Task Force.
This module describes myths behind youth who sexually act out, also referred to as youth with Problematic Sexual Behaviors (PSBs). The article focuses on four areas of misperception and misconception: Risk, Specialness, Intransigence and Homogeneity. Specific conceptual tools (e.g., giving the provider permission to see these children as still children and not young pedophiles) and concrete tools (e.g., the TF-CBT model and the PCIT model) are discussed.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
In addition to continuing education courses, you can also listen to Mindcast: Healthy Mind, Healthy Child, the only podcast produced by a children’s psychiatric hospital in the US to focus on children’s mental health. Bradley Hospital experts’ advice and insight; free and available when you are.
